Cross-sectional psychometric validation, convergent validity, and measurement invariance of the DASS-21 in Mexican university students

Evidence supports the validity, reliability, and fairness of the DASS-21 for screening general distress and profiling subdomains in Mexican universities; priorities include norms and ROC-based cutoffs in verified clinical samples. Limitations: Single-site, non-probabilistic sample; cross-sectional design; clinical status by self-report; forced-completion digital setting may introduce minor response pressure.